Wrigley opens addition to the Yorkville factory

Wrigley opened June 14 an addition to its Yorkville factory that added 145,000 square feet, a new Skittles line and 75 new jobs.

YORKVILLE – Wrigley opened an addition this week to its Yorkville factory to produce more Skittles.

Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars, opened the addition Tuesday.

The expansion is the result of a $50 million investment by Mars that adds 145,000 square feet, a new Skittles line and 75 new jobs – a 25 percent increase in the workforce at the facility, according to a news release from the company.

“Mars has a long-standing history of making our products in the markets where they’re sold,” Wrigley Americas President Casey Keller said in the news release. “With the expansion of our Skittles production footprint, we are proud to continue that tradition right here in the state that Wrigley has called home for 125 years.”

The Yorkville expansion reflects the unprecedented growth of Skittles, which the company said is now the No. 1 nonchocolate confection brand in the United States.

The company’s growth in the state of Illinois was assisted by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Yorkville Area Chamber of Commerce, city of Yorkville and Kendall County.

“We are grateful for the support of our state and local communities, which have been instrumental in helping to bring this project to life,” Keller said in the news release. “We’re fortunate to be able to further invest here in Yorkville, and provide the community with continued economic development.”

Gov. Bruce Rauner noted that Wrigley is an iconic company in the state, and is proud to see it continue to grow in Illinois.

“Wrigley has invested nearly $200 million in Illinois over the past seven years, creating hundreds of jobs for Illinois residents,” Rauner said in the news release. “The state of Illinois is glad to be a partner in Wrigley’s further expansion.”

In the past five years, Mars has invested $1 billion in U.S. factories and operations, creating more than 1,000 jobs.